


Hearts Entwined [or: Temple interactions observed by Qui Gon Jinn]

by KeeperofSeeds



Series: Obi Wan & Shmi and the Worst Vision ever [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Ficlet, Force Visions, Force-Sensitive Shmi Skywalker, Friendship, Gen, Jedi Temple, Lightsabers, Male-Female Friendship, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Memories, Minor Injuries, Missions, Missions Gone Wrong, Not Beta Read, Padawan Obi-Wan, Past Lives, Protectiveness, Stolen Moments, Tea, The Force, Timey-Wimey, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-07-22 07:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7425949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeeperofSeeds/pseuds/KeeperofSeeds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>stolen moments between Padawan Kenobi and Shmi Skywalker, glimpsed by Qui Gon Jinn, and his continued attempts to understand both this strange new addition to the Temple and the unexplained relationship between the pair</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [suzukiblu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukiblu/gifts).



> These miscellaneous ficlets takes place in various times during the 6ish months between when Shmi arrives at the Temple and before Anakin is actually born. (that fic is coming eventually dear Friends)

The first time Qui Gon finds his Padawan with the woman who scandalized the Council is not long after her sudden induction into the Temple.  
  
This woman whose Force presence felt like a small star. The mix of power surrounding her and her not yet born child was astonishing. That fact alone was enough to pique his interest. Combined with the memory her steady voice arguing against the Grand Master himself, _AND_ the strange reaction she'd had to his Padawan (" _Master!" she'd cried out and flung herself at Obi Wan's small frame)_ he was inclined to like the woman. Even _with_ the level of secrecy surrounding her, he felt no ill intent in the Force around her. Quite the opposite. The Living Force seemed to flow around and through her, and he was curious to learn more about her.   
  
She had shaken the Council, shaken them _all_ out of complacency.    
  
Shmi, he remembered. Obi Wan had introduced them with tears still in his eyes before asking permission to see her to an empty room.

* * *

He is recently returned from a short mission when he stumbles across the pair. It was a diplomatic mission and besides a single assassination attempt the mission was quiet. He would have welcomed his Padawan and his usual list of questions, but Obi Wan had remained at the Temple this time, occupied with his studies.  
All Qui Gon wants now is a cup of tea and the quiet, relaxing atmosphere of his room.  
  
What he finds is his Padawan and Shmi Skywalker sitting in the living area, with all the furniture pushed back against the walls.  Shmi sits cross legged in the middle of the room, brow furrowed in concentration at she levitates a handul of miscellaneous items around herself. Obi Wan's voice is low and steady as he instructs her from his own place on the couch, his back to the door.  
  
It is a fine display of control. He wonders again who her teacher was.  
  
The mystery surrounding her grows. Obi Wan has continued to be stubbornly silent about the matter as well.  
  
Qui Gon spots a model from Obi Wan's collection and an empty bottle before Shmi registers his entrance and her concentration is broken. The items fall to the ground with gentle thumps, the bottle rolling under the couch.  
  
Her eyes open to meet his and there is something in her expression he cannot yet read.  
She nods to him in greeting, drawing Obi Wan's attention. He turns to face the door.  
  
"Oh." Obi Wan says. "Master. I didn't realize you were returning today."  
  
As Obi Wan jumps up, he continues apologizing for the state of their rooms; Shmi stands and quietly makes her way to their kitchen. Qui Gon lets Obi Wan pull him in their rooms further and over to the couch, still reassuring him that everything will be back to its original place by tomorrow.  
  
Qui Gon's attention remains on Shmi. She is going through their cabinets, setting up the tea set with no sense of hesitation. It's as if she's lived here for years. Reaching tanned hands into drawers without looking to pluck up spoons and standing on tip toe to reach his favorite tea on the top shelf.  
  
The tea, when she brings it over to them, is made exactly how Qui Gon likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started off as an attempt to figure out what the heck Qui Gon was up to in this little AU verse and how he'd react to his suddenly changed Padawan learner and his new talents and strange new Gray Jedi bff. Because while I loooove Qui Gon as a character and love reading stories with him...I find it difficult to get inside his head and write from his POV. & I think his relationship with Obi Wan is super important to Obi as a character. So I decided to turn my brain storming/musings into mini exploration fics. 
> 
> Tags will be updated as I go.


	2. Chapter 2

When Obi Wan had announced his intentions to spend his free time after lessons in the training salle, it was nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
Admitting that Lady Skywalker had asked for his help, however, _that_ was interesting.  
  
With only gentle pushing, Obi Wan had shared the time the meeting was to take place and Qui Gon silently vowed to be there.  
  
He had seen Obi Wan's changed style in their missions since that Day. The Day when Qui Gon found Obi Wan collapsed in the fresher, fear flowing off him in waves. That Day Obi Wan still will not openly talk of to him.  
  
He's seen Obi Wan's reliance on a more grounded style. His reliance on Soresu, over the Form IV aerials he'd previously preferred.   
  
He has not seen Shmi fight. Though he has heard plenty of Temple gossip about her makeshift lightsaber and its bright, almost invisible shimmer of a blade.  
  
She does not have it with her today unfortunately. The pair spar with training sabers, their power lowered. He watches them stretch and eye each other, sizing up their opponent.  
  
They bow and Qui Gon, hidden up in one of the surrounding balconies, holds in breath in anticipation.  
  
The first blow, when it comes, it unexpected. Shmi lunges at Obi Wan, her saber raised for a powerful downward strike. It is an aggressive move. One that Qui Gon would not have expected from the unassuming woman.  
  
He should know better than to judge a Jedi by their appearance. Seeing Master Yoda in action was enough proof that appearances could be deceiving. Under estimating your opponent was a mistake you only had to make once.  
  
Obi Wan however does not seem surprised by this opening. He parries the blow and Qui Gon can see his smile from his spot on the sidelines. She must make some comment because Obi Wan is startled into a huff of laughter. Shmi uses this momentary distraction to press forward, making another two handed swing.  
  
The swing almost makes a hit, but Obi Wan throws himself into a sideways roll to escape the blow last minute.  
  
The fight continues and Qui Gon can't help but be impressed. Lady Skywalker has obviously had some sort of training, though he can tell she is out of practice. Her defense just off enough to be notable. A slight hesitance in her stance when she has too much time to think.  
   
  
She seemed to be using the Djem So variant of Form V, Qui Gon notes, but she lacked the strength needed to drive his Padawan into a position where he would be forced to surrender.  
  
Obi Wan matches her blow for blow, standing firm against the onslaught. Bending and stepping out of reach as she slashed, her own feet more firmly planted.  
  
  
Just when Qui Gon begins to think she will wear down his Padawan with sheer persistence, Obi Wan acts. He ducks under her saber, spine bending back parallel to the floor before leaping into the air in a way more matched with his former style of combat, over Shmi completely. Before she can turn to meet him, his Force Push sends her head over heels. She raises her eyes to meet the tip of his saber. The match is done as she taps out, the look of wry amusement on her face clearly visible, even from the balcony Qui Gon has situated himself in.  
  
Shmi good naturedly takes the hand Obi Wan offers and gets to her feet to bow.  
The thick braid of her hair is beginning to come undone and pieces stick to her face or frizz around her face.  
  
Obi Wan is talking, hands gesturing wildly as they return the training sabers to their spot. Shmi is nodding along, head tilted as she listens.  
  
His Padawan taking the role of Teacher admirably well, Qui Gon thinks, despite the amusing mismatch visual the two of them make. The thin frame of his Padawan, yet to hit his next growth spurt, and the solid, yet increasingly round figure of Shmi nodding along beside him, her face still pink from the fight.  
  
Obi Wan raises a hand to her shoulder once the sabers are returned and the pair pause. Qui Gon cannot see Obi Wan's face from this angle but whatever he said must have made an impression on Shmi. The expression on her face of pleasant surprise is one that stays with Qui Gon for many days after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent way too much time Googling the different lightsaber combat styles and searching through character bios for preferred forms ect. Feel free to speak up if any of them seem outrageously wrong or out of place. 
> 
> Hopefully you at least tell Shmi was channeling Vader's style a little more than say Clone Wars era Anakin's here. I figured those memories were the last ones she experienced and they'd be fresher in her mind/shared muscle memory. Later she'll obviously expand her repertoire and improve her own strengths and weaknesses, but this is still early for her.  
> Imagine Shmi asking Mace for help with her lightsaber training in the future. As suzukiblu noted on Tumblr: Shmi & Mace are the same age in this verse. Imagine them together. Imagine Mace's subdued excitement over this Gray Jedi Lady who gives zero fucks.


	3. Chapter 3

Qui Gon wakes up with his heart pounding and half remembered screams in his ears.  
Not his, he realizes. The fear echoes along the training bond, though now it is tampered down as if Obi Wan is shielding from him.  
  
He thought they were past this. This hiding from each other. But every since Obi Wan's Vision, he feels off balance. Unsure how to react around his Padawan who suddenly seems changed.  
It was not a Fall, as he feared when he'd felt the swirl of emotions that first time. And oh, how he'd searched his Padawan's eyes when he'd woke in the healer's wing, panic attack slowly materializing and resonating across the bond and mixing with Qui Gon's own worry. But Obi Wan's eyes had been their comforting blue-gray, even wide as they were with panic.  
  
This time feels different. It's not as overwhelming as before, and it feels like Obi Wan got a handle on his emotions faster.  
  
Not fast enough to hide from his Master though.  
  
Maybe this time he can get Obi Wan to open up to him, Qui Gon thinks half heartedly. He pushes sweat dampened sheets back to deal with later and gets out of bed; he pauses only to grab a robe to throw over his bare chest before seeking out Obi Wan. He isn't in their rooms, he can tell that already.   
  
  
Obi Wan isn't in the training salle.  
  
Nor the communal cafeteria.  
  
The Temple has rarely felt as vast as it does now, though he knows in his mind how large the structure is. He just wants to find his Padawan. Gods be damned, but he is tired of Obi Wan hiding from him!  
  
He pauses mid stride, lucky the corridor is as empty as it is. He's going about this wrong. Letting his worry cloud his thoughts. Qui Gon takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, reaching one hand out to a pillar to ground himself. He releases the breathe in a long hiss. The Living Force flows around him and through him and throughout the pillar and the entire Temple itself.   
  
He keeps his eyes close and narrows his focus, focusing on the training bond. Slowly he lets the Force lead him, following the eddies and whirls of it through the Temple and further from their rooms. He lets his shields open wider, surprised that Obi Wan has not sensed him yet. He must truly be distracted. With the grief leaking through Obi Wan's shields that isn't surprising however. Even that trickle is stronger than Qui Gon has felt in years. Like a physical ache in his chest.  
  
He follows the thread and ends up in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Bare feet leaving cool marble for the soft grasses and wooden bridges throughout the room.   
   
He is surprised at the location. While it is well known that this is one of his favorite rooms in the Temple, Obi Wan however, much prefers the archives or salles. Or…at least he had.  
  
He walks slower, and begins to ease out of the Force, looking with his eyes in the dim space, not wanting to startle Obi Wan. The feeling of grief is getting stronger. It's edged with…guilt? Strange.  
  
The sense of his Padawan is flanked in the Force by the swirling vortex of power he has come to recognize as Shmi Skywalker.  
  
He finally spots movement as he crosses a bridge. The pair are sitting near one of the winding streams. Qui Gon quickly crosses, bare feet quietly taking him to a weeping willow, one of the nearest trees large enough to hide even his frame behind, and watches, trying to decide if he should approach the pair.  
  
He is torn between wanting to interrogate the woman (his Padawan should have been coming to _him_ for comfort!) and relief that Obi Wan has found someone he trusts enough to talk to, even if it isn't a mind healer. He knows he can't _make_ Obi Wan talk to him about his feelings but stars above does he want to!  
  
The running water is loud enough to muffle most of what the pair is saying, but if he strains Qui Gon can catch bits and pieces.  
  
"…I failed them all." Obi Wan is saying. Then something else Qui Gon cannot hear, followed by, …"I don't think I can do it again."  
  
"You can." Shmi Skywalker's voice drifts over. " _We_ can."    
  
"There's just so much to consider." Obi Wan sounds pained. "What if I can't remember- or I remembered wrong or- we change things too soon or miss something-?!"  
  
Lady Skywalker reaches out a hand to quiet Obi Wan. "Ani is worried too." She leans closer and pulls Obi Wan sideways so his forehead rests on her shoulder and she can press a kiss along his hair line. Her next words are too low for Qui Gon to hear, but he sees the way the words make Obi Wan smile. He feels the small trickle of relief leak through their bond.  
  
"Now enough of that." he hears her commands. "You're making the baby sad. He's got enough of that leftover without you adding more to it."  
  
"No. You're right. I'm sorry Anakin." Obi Wan's voice grows more muffled and Qui Gon peers closer through the trailing leaves to see Obi Wan bending to rest his head in Shmi's lap. His eyes are closed. One of her hands lifts to run through his hair, carefully avoiding the braid tucked behind his ear, the other hand rests just below her sternum. Her stomach is just small enough to still allow this. She begins to hum, and then to sing in a low husky voice. Words in a language Qui Gon does not recognize. Words that drift along the water and flow through the Force to embrace him in his hiding space. Words of long nights and guiding stars that draw weary travelers in to rest.  
  
The scene feel intimate in a way he had not yet associated with his Padawan. He feels like even more of an intruder. His Padawan is safe and being looked after. That is all he should need to know. Being caught spying would not convince Obi Wan to talk to him and trust him with these nightmares. He will come in his own time. For now he at least has this, and Qui Gon will not deny him comfort.     
  
 As he turns to leave he hears Obi Wan's voice join in with Shmi, not singing, but humming along. The trees themselves seem to wake up and reach out to the pair, the Living Force flowing in gentle waves around them. By the time Qui Gon makes it back to their shared quarters, the bond between them is peaceful once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Qui Gon sits in the cafeteria staring across the room at where Shmi Skywalker is sitting. Today she looks to be sitting with Obi Wan's friend Bant and a pair of older Initiates. Bant is probably interrogating the woman, as she has become quite protective of Obi Wan over the years. Lady Skywalker only looks politely amused and she answers questions between bites of the generous helping on her plate.  
  
Qui Gon sits and once again thinks back through the years of Obi Wan's apprenticeship so far. Trying to remember missions and lesser known worlds. He is almost certain they'd never come across the woman before, but Obi Wan acts as if he's known her for years. He doesn't understand how this could be.  
  
Yoda certainly seems to spend enough time with this strange new arrival, but no one else Qui Gon has questioned knows anything other than rumors and hearsay. And Yoda remains tight lipped for now only replying, "A matter for the council this is. Call for you when necessary we will."  
  
He glances up again and catches Lady Skywalker leaning across the table with a hand on the shoulder of one of the Initiates. Perhaps offering some advice or comfort, the same as any Jedi in the Temple.  
  
They revolve around each other like planets, this stranger and his Padawan, locked together into a synced orbit, movements complimenting each other. Whether in the training salles or just as they walk the halls of the Temple, they move as a team.   
  
It's strange to watch their closeness and realize how distant Obi Wan has become over these past months.  
  
It is also quite the shock to hear exactly what kind of rumors have sprung up about the pair. Qui Gon stops in his tracks the first time he hears whispers about the father of Lady Skywalker's child. He'd been exiting this very cafeteria after the late meal and it took considerable effort not to turn around and race after the gossip to demand who had started such a rumor. To stand up for the honor of his Padawan.  
  
Later that night though, while Obi Wan was sleeping, he couldn't help but give the rumor more thought.  
  
Obi Wan _had_ reached the age of consent on Coruscant but Qui Gon was fairly certain his Padawan didn't have much interest in sexual exploits yet.  
  
Either that or his Padwan's stealth skills had managed to increase significantly without him knowing. But no, Obi Wan was a private person but not secretive like that. Obi Wan would not hide such an thing.  
  
Not before That Night at least.  
  
It's unnerving. This doubt that creeps in.  
  
Now it feels as if a trench had opened up between his Padawan and him. One he cannot see a way across. He still doesn't know exactly what happened to Obi Wan that night he'd found him passed out. Some sort of Vision to be sure, no matter how much Obi Wan had went on to deny it. The Healers claim there is no lingering physical problem. They'd suggested a Mind Healer but Qui Gon knows that Obi Wan refused. That sort of thing cannot be forced so he finds himself at a loss.  
  
Perhaps he is being too restrained. His own Master had always been forthright and direct in their conversations. Awkward topics were navigated quickly in this manner.  
  
_Yes_ , he thinks. He just needs to come out and ask Obi Wan directly. At worst the boy could only brush him off again. At best, he gets answers to some of his burning questions and begins to bridge the gap between them.

* * *

  
The next evening Qui Gon finds himself regretting the decision before he can even get the words out. Little Gods! This shouldn't be this hard! He takes a deep breath and begins the question again, staring firmly down at the cup of tea he'd made, wishing vaguely that he'd thought to add brandy to the brew.  
  
"Is the child…yours?" he managed to get out. Better to be up front about it he reminds himself. However awkward it feels to him. Better to be sure.  
  
"No" Obi Wan said simply, his own tea untouched before him, but before Qui Gon could relax he added on, "and yes."  
Seeing his Master's look of confusion he elaborates.  
  
"He is not my kin. But he was like a son to me, and then a brother."  
  
Obi Wan pauses, and his eyes drop away. Qui Gon notices his hands, twisting about themselves, picking at the frayed edge of his sleeves. This gesture of nerves distracts him from the strange tense change.  
  
Then quietly, so quiet that he almost does not catch it, Obi Wan whispers, "I love him."  
  
Qui Gon is shocked into silence. Any other questions he had evaporating. Obi Wan, his Padawn, so strict about the Code, so different from himself, making this sort of confession…is something he never expected. It only highlights how his Padawan has changed over these past months. How changed he is, not just his level of skill with a saber, but on a fundamental, internal level.    
He doesn't know what to say to this confession. He still has so many questions. What did Obi Wan _see_ to change him so?  
  
Putting aside the need for answers, he reaches out, setting his tea aside, and gently draws Obi Wan closer until he can wrap his arm around the boy's thin shoulders. Obi Wan turns his head and buries his face in Qui Gon's robes, not quite crying, but taking long shuddering breaths as his emotions bleed out into the training bond.  
  
Qui Gon feels the large trench between them begin to shrink, ever so slowly, as he projects acceptance and love through their bond.  
  
There is still much to talk about, but the rest can come later. In this moment, they sit together on the couch, gently unweaving the tangled web of each other's emotions. Sorting through things long left unsaid between them.    
   
Eventually, exhaustion sends Obi Wan to sleep, but Qui Gon doesn't move. He spends the night on their couch, holding Obi Wan close, rubbing gentle hands soothingly up and down his back as the boy sleeps until fatigue draws his own eyes shut as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This originally started off with the intention of being a lulzy and lighthearted look into Temple gossip surrounding Obi & Shmi.
> 
> ...whoops. Found some feels instead. Probably since I've been rereading the RotS novelization. (A+ highly recommended in book or audio form)
> 
> But yay for Obi Wan taking his first baby steps in slowly remembering how to trust his Master again. He can't keep putting off telling him about the Visions forever!
> 
> & for some parting lulz: imagine Dooku giving Qui Gon The Sex Talk. :P


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission goes awry, and Qui Gon gets a talking to.

  
He had thought the twisted ankle he'd gained while dodging blaster fire through a jungle was going to be the worst of his problems, but just when he'd let his guard down, a scout had leap down from the trees and stuck a knife in the space below his collar bone. His shout of pain had brought Obi Wan up from behind him and he'd quickly dispatched the being, but the damage was done.  
  
Qui Gon had made it back to the ship before passing out at least, drawing on every reserve in the Force he could. Even as his saber arm went numb and blood soaked through the layers of his tunics he kept moving. One foot in front of the other, his eyes firmly fixed on the light tan of Obi Wan's tunics as he ran in front of him now, making sure the path was clear.  
  
Everything began to dissolve into a blur of motion and sound after he'd stumbled through the cargo hold to the ship's small med bay. He felt the sharp hum of the engines as Obi Wan set their course home as he collapsed back onto the too small bed. He gasped as Obi Wan's pale face appeared above his, too focused on pain radiating out from the wound to have heard he enter the room. He turned his head and watched dazedly as his Padawan collected bandages and bacta strips and began tugging at his outer tunics. His voice a soothing mumble through the haze. Qui Gon tried to raise his other hand, thinking to help, but Obi Wan firmly pushed the limb away, ordering him to just lie still!  
  
There is the sharp sting of pain when Obi Wan pressed into the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding more before applying bacta, and this is what finally sends Qui Gon drifting off into unconsciousness, Obi Wan's voice, cursing in some unknown language, fading away.  
  
He knows nothing more until waking in the Healer's Wing, back in the Temple.

* * *

He wakes slowly to the sound of humming, and a callused hand clutched in his.  It's not the familiar light saber calluses that any Jedi develops however, and long broad fingers clutch his while the thumb rubs soothing swipes along the back of his hand. Dazed as he is, it takes a long moment to realize is not Obi Wan, as he expected, nor any of his usual friends here to reprimand him, but Lady Skywalker he assumes as he attempts to focus on the melody coming from within her. It sounds somewhat familiar, but between the haze of drugs and the lingering exhaustion, he cannot be bothered to try and remember it.  
  
He blinks open gummy eyes, grateful to find the room's lights dimmed.

"Oh good," the voice says, hand stilling in his. "You're awake."

He tries to answer but a tickle in his throat leads to a coughing fit that sends a sharp spike of pain through his side.  
  
Lady Skywalker waves away the Padawan who immediate leans into the room and moves herself to hold him up off the bed while he coughs. When he's only wheezing, she reaches out for the glass of water a healer must have left behind for circumstances such as this and gently raises it to his lips.

He drinks down half of it before pulling back, careful not to overdo it. He's been in the healer's wards often enough over the years to know what to expect and how to treat himself after an injury.

  
"My thanks," he rasps, his deep voice cracking still after a period of unexpected unconsciousness.

Lady Skywalker nods in acknowledgement, and lets him breathe unencumbered for a minute before thinning her lips and steeling herself to speak.

"I know this isn't the best time to talk Qui Gon, but I mean to leave  in the morning for another mission and I can't leave before speaking my mind."

Qui Gon nods and Lady Skywalker brushes down her tunic, fidgets with the fraying hem of it for a moment before reaching back to drag her chair closer to the bed. She sits down heavily and clasps her hands together. After a deep breath, begins speaking.  
  
"It's been two days since you and Obi Wan returned from your mission." 

Qui Gon blinks. It's less than he expected considering how he feels. He opens his mouth to ask a question but is cut off by a raised hand.

"Let me finish," Lady Skywalker insists, her tone clipped, more formal sounding than normal. "The only reason I am here, the reason I knew about your injury was that Obi Wan was broadcasting his panic so loudly I'm surprised the younglings in the creche weren't feeling it." She stares down at him in the bed, disappointment radiating off her.  
"I had to drag your Padawan away from your bedside Qui Gon. He was about to collapse himself. He'd worked to keep you stable on the journey back and apparently hadn't left your side. He was not prepared for what happened. Not emotionally. Bant promised me she would check in on him after I'm gone but the two of you _need_ to have a long discussion while I'm off planet."

Qui Gon closed his mouth, which had fallen open in surprise. Who was this woman to lecture him? What right did this outsider have to sit here and judge his lessons to Obi Wan over the years. She had only been here for a bare months!  
  
He tried to draw himself up higher on his bed, to put more strength behind his words.  
"I do not believe it is your place Lady Skywalker to lecture me on treatment of my Padawan. Nor on the relationship between us."   
  
Her eyes flash. "I know what you are thinking _Master_ Jedi." The title sounds like an insult in her mouth. "I may not have a Padawan of my own but I have a son and know more than you can imagine about raising up impressionable young boys."  
  
The fact that the child has not been born yet does not seem to matter to her as she barrels on.

"I _know_ what it's like to lose people you care about. What it's like to hold people in your arms as they slip away."

Shmi goes distant for a moment, seeing things he can only guess at, before shaking her head and refocusing on him with a glare.

"I know the fear that situation can fill a person with. The bone deep terror of not being able to do a single thing about it.

"Now I _know_ accidents happen, Qui Gon, but I expected more of you. A man who puts so much of his faith in the Living Force. Obi Wan has repeated your lessons of living in the moment many times. I'm starting to think he remembers them better than you do."

 Qui Gon doesn't reply to that. He sees Shmi clench her empty hand into a fist and then slowly release it. Her moment of anger seeming to drain away. When she speaks again, it's quieter, but no less intense.

"Your injury upset Obi Wan more than you know. You and I both know that it's unlikely for him to admit exactly how much it upset him." She pauses. "Or… _why_ it upset him. More so than other injuries during past missions."

A realization cuts through his fogged mind.

"This is about his Vision," he says, more of a statement than a question. He knows the answer before she averts her eyes and sighs.

"Yes."

Lady Skywalker clutches her free hand around her growing middle, and closes her eyes for a moment. She continues without looking at him.

"You have to keep reaching out to Obi Wan. Be there for him. He needs to talk about these things we experienced and…" here she pauses. "I think this," she uncurls her arm and gestures to his bandaged body, "will spur him to action. Fear not Qui Gon. Obi Wan _does_ trust you. He just needs to remember. To find his place again by your side. This has been…a difficult transition, for all of us."  
  
Despite his attempts to wrap his mind around her words ( _us,_ she said _us._ What did she know about his Padawan's vision? _)_ his body is still not completely healed and he can feel sleep dragging him down, so Qui Gon sinks back into his pillow, and falls asleep to the steady warmth of her hand in his. Her low humming twines itself throughout his dream, although even in dreams, he does not recognize the language.

He dreams of a cleansing rain.

* * *

When he wakes again it's to the gentle touch of a healer peeling back the dressing of his wound. He stays silent as they work, mind going over his last conversation. He hasn't felt this chastised since he was a Padawan! Master Dooku was slow to anger, but Qui Gon had suffered through many a lecture on how disappointed his Master was in him as a boy. How he had expected better of him. The tilt of his head and the slow cadence of his voice were often worse than if he'd been yelling.

It's been many years since he's had such a dressing down. An amused huff of breathe escapes him at what his Master would think of being compared to this strange woman who has thrown large parts of the Temple off its regular routine. He begins to wonder when his Master will return to the Temple next, but then the healer speaks up and he puts aside such thoughts.  
   
"You're healing well Qui Gon," says the healer. "You Padawan did a remarkable job at caring for you on the journey back. He made our job much easier. Such first aid skill will aid him well in his future."

 "I…didn't realize," he trailed off, and the healer thankfully understood where he was going and continued on.

 "I imagine you wouldn't remember much Master Jinn. Not with the amount of blood you had lost. Fear not, you've trained your Padawan well. He's a credit to you." She pats his hand gently, "It's always disconcerting for Masters to have their Padawan care for them like this. You're certainly not the first to be surprised at how well they apply the lessons learned."

Qui Gon smiles weakly.

The healer takes her leave, after assuring him that if everything continues as is, he should be released tomorrow afternoon.

* * *

The next time he wakes it's to soft snores. Turning his head, he sees Obi Wan curled up in a chair that has been pulled next to his bed. The boy is wrapped in a blanket, one of the dark ones the healers hand out, so Qui Gon chooses to assume that they gave up on keeping his Padawan away and allowed the boy in, instead of the more likely option of Obi Wan having snuck back in sometime during the night.  
  
Qui Gon slowly reaches out, careful of the ache in his chest, and pulls the blanket up closer to Obi Wan's shoulders.

Lady Skywalker was right, he thought. He and Obi Wan had much to talk about. He had been making progress at breaching the unexplained channel between them, but he couldn't stop now. If Obi Wan had had a true Vision, it would do him no good to keep his worry and fear trapped inside. Qui Gon would have to do better to show Obi Wan he was here for him. He also silently vowed to tell Obi Wan how proud he was of the man his Padawan was growing into. While he believed Obi Wan was still many years away from his Trials, this mission had shown him just how skilled Obi Wan was becoming. Every Jedi who ventured out of the Temple had to complete a basic first aid course, but the healer made it sound like Obi Wan had gone above and beyond what was expected of Padawans. If Obi Wan had been taking extra lessons, or perhaps having his friend Bant tutor him, he deserved to have that work acknowledged and verbally appreciated. After all, it had likely saved his life.

He let his hand relax back into the sheets, content now to watch Obi Wan sleep after what was no doubt a period of intense worry.

Trust in the Force he reminded himself and slowly feels his breathes match up to Obi Wan's deep ones as he falls into a light meditation, and lets the Force flow through him, revealing in the steady support of being back in the Temple, surrounded by Jedi who were no doubt willing to help him, and Obi Wan, finally deal with what had happened on that day that Obi Wan had first collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shmi and her Disappointed Mom Voice know all sorts of secrets about how you treated Obi Wan as a Padawan Qui Gon. (Not that the Jedi Apprentice books are canon anymore but still.) Shmi is going to try her best to make sure her boys have better relationships all around this time.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Talk with Master Dooku](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7911904) by [Sue_Clover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sue_Clover/pseuds/Sue_Clover)




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